The Meadowbrooke Secret
Abandoned by her stepmother at a remote country cottage, Elinor Burke grows up as little more than a servant, yearning for a life she was born into but never knew. When the new Earl of Berdwell arrives, along with her estranged stepfamily, Ellie finds herself caught in a web of secrets surrounding her past and her father's true legacy. Can she navigate treacherous social currents and uncover the truth before her future is irrevocably decided?
1814.
My hands went still, and I held my breath. Maybe she wouldn't see me, or thought I went for a walk.
"Elinor Burke! I know you're back there. Where are you?"
With a sigh, I looked up from the rose bush in front of me. "I'm coming, Mrs. Haynes," I called out. I scrambled up from where I had been pulling weeds from the flower bed. Though I knew it would do little, I brushed at my brown skirt, hoping to remove all traces of dirt or bark.
Then, I set off for the back of the cottage.
